# Rasputin | How Rumour Broke an Empire | Feat. Sir Antony Beevor

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-6673187/rasputin-how-rumour-broke-an-empire-feat-sir-antony-beevor.md
Podcast: [Legacy](https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-6673187)
Published: 2026-05-14T08:05:31+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/originallegacy/episodes/rasputin-how-rumour-broke-an-empire-feat-sir-antony-beevor
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e4c0be965488b63a6987c5/e/6a048acfd58f9c365b158f09/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/legacy-6673187/episodes/rasputin-how-rumour-broke-an-empire-feat-sir-antony-beevor
Duration seconds: 2350

## Resource

How does a Siberian peasant mystic end up controlling the most powerful empire in Europe? Could the rumours that destroyed a dynasty have been entirely false — and did they matter anyway? And, without Rasputin, would there have been no Lenin — and would the 20th century have looked completely different? Peter sits down with Sir Antony Beevor — bestselling author of Stalingrad , Berlin , and D-Day — to dig into his new book on one of history's most mythologised figures: Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian wanderer who charmed the Tsarina, antagonised everyone else, and whose murder was so catastrophically bungled it reads like black farce. 0:00 From Siberia to the Imperial court — how a peasant mystic reached the centre of power 5:30 Holy fools, wandering pilgrims, and why Russia was always fertile ground for figures like Rasputin 10:00 The voice, the eyes, and the seduction: how Rasputin actually worked on people 13:00 The Tsarina's obsession — and why Antony Beevor is certain the rumours were fake news 17:30 How Rasputin's ministerial choices set the railways on fire and sparked a revolution 24:00 Rasputin was right about the war — and then made everything worse anyway 27:30 The assassination: poisoned cakes, Yankee Doodle, and a murder plot of spectacular incompetence 32:00 Putin, Nicholas II, and why historians should be wary of historical parallels 36:00 Without Rasputin, no Lenin? The counterfactuals Antony loves but won't fully follow Join Legacy Plus for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more. legacy.supportingcast.fm Stay connected with Legacy: Instagram: @originallegacypodcast TikTok: @legacy_productions Explore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com Join Legacy…

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